To Shanshu in the UK
by El Jord
Summary: Angel and Spike's journey was supposed to end in the final battle behind the Hyperion. But the PTB have other plans. Plans that involve a certain magic school in Scotland.
1. The Gamble

**To Shanshu in the UK**

A Harry Potter/Angel crossover

**Summary:** Angel and Spike's journey was supposed to end in the final battle behind the Hyperion. But the PTB have other plans. Plans that involve a certain magic school in Scotland.

I do not own either series. They are owned by Joss Whedon and J.K. Rowling respectively. If they really want to sue me over this, they won't get a whole lot.

* * *

**The Gamble**

In a dimensional plane very far away from our own, three figures stood in the endless expanse of white. Covered in a brilliant light that obscured their features, it was impossible to tell anything about them. Their gender, their species, and their individual looks were simply impossible to determine by mortal races, if these beings even had any of those features. The only thing that was easily determined was what they were looking at.

Floating just a few feet in front of the three beings was a small sphere. Inside the sphere, images of a great battle were shown, flickering constantly to new points of the battle to give a better view of all that was going on. Each of the views was centered on four familiar figures, constantly showing how their situation, and their fate, would play out.

They saw the dark-skinned warrior, already mortally wounded, throwing every last drop of his remaining energy into the fight. Even as his life ran out, he refused to weaken. For what seemed like an eternity to him, but was actually a mere thirty minutes, the lone human was a whirlwind of destruction in the middle of the demonic horde. In time, he would fall. That was certain, even to him, yet far more demons would fall before he did.

In another section of the battle, the deceptively slight body of a woman could be seen throwing her attackers around like rag dolls. There was no elegance to her fighting, just brute strength and sheer power. Even from their dimension, the aura the "girl" possessed came off of her body in waves. The aura of one of the Old Ones, yet tainted with human emotions like grief, as had never been felt before. Even this mighty force of nature was beginning to weaken, however. Wounds on her fragile shell were beginning to accumulate, and while she seemed to not feel them in the midst of her rampage, the beings knew it was only a matter of time.

A short distance away was the first vampire, the anomaly in their plans. His bleached blond hair was covered in various colors of blood as he ripped through his own attackers with nothing but fist and fang. There was a defiance in him that blazed as brightly as the sun and his every attack was an open dare to bring an end to him. They had clearly underestimated him and his impact. Perhaps he had the potential to be their champion after all. Of course, that did not matter now.

Last, but not least, was the champion. He was the vampire with a soul, the key part in all their plans up to this point, and he was finally fulfilling his purpose. By surrendering his destiny and launching a rebellion against the Wolf, the Ram, and the Heart he had set in motion the events that would destroy their entire organization in the dimensional plane. But he had no way of knowing this, and they could not tell him. All he had known was that he had an opportunity to hit the Partners back as hard as he could, and he was willing to sacrifice himself to do it.

All four of them were heroes, champions of the beings' cause. And yet…

"They will die."

It was not a question, but a statement. They all had known it would happen. But in the voice of the Power that had spoken there was a hint, so small that even his fellows could barely detect it, of pity.

"Of course. It was written as such, and they knew the risks." Another spoke.

"Even the vampires? What of the Shanshu Prophecy?" The first being questioned.

There was a moment of silence.

"The champion surrendered his right to it. And the other one, the anomaly, was not part of the plan" One of the others answered finally.

"How does one surrender something you do not possess? He had not yet earned his right to Shanshu, after all. And while we had not planned on the other, does he not also fit the criteria?" He rebuked.

Again, silence.

"What exactly are you proposing then?" The second being finally replied, "we grant one of them the Shanshu? Despite it not being their destiny?"

"I propose more than that."

With that declaration, the first being waved his hand, and the orb's view shifted. Instead of the battle in the back alley of Los Angeles, it displayed a view of an ancient castle in a verdant country side. In the background were images of several humans flying about on brooms in a small stadium. The others recognized it immediately, but did not say anything. Eventually, the orb focused on one of the flying humans, revealing a young boy with messy black hair, green eyes, and a lightning bolt scar.

"I propose we use the Shanshu prophecy to reposition the vampires to aid with the Potter boy's destiny. Two birds with one stone, as the Earth saying goes."

The other two Powers felt the closest they had to being shocked in millennia.

"That would be pointless! The boy will succeed on his own!" One protested after gathering its wits. "That kind of change to established destiny would have a dire consequence, and you know it. We are bound by certain limitations in our interference, and this would be a blatant violation of those rules. We would be unable to see the destiny it would cause, let alone compensate for changes! You would be gambling on one of our victories!"

The other one cut in, "And even if we used them like that, the vampires would remember their pasts. They would undoubtedly bring in the Slayer and her allies, and the ripple effect could jeopardize all of our plans if left unchecked!"

The first Power raised a hand to silence their protests. "What you say is all true, and I have considered it." The being admitted, "However, we also know that the boy's victory will be pyhric at best, and many valuable fighters for our cause will be lost in the events that lead to it. Adding champions like the vampires, both of them, can only help our position in the future. Which you know as well as I do that we shall need if the prophecies are correct."

The other two did not protest this declaration. It was an uncomfortable subject, knowing the significance and scale of coming events, but also being unable to alter them. What the first being said was true, they needed all the allies they could get, otherwise they would not have aided the Slayer and her Witch in activating all the Slayers. It violated the balance, and stretched their own abilities, but it had been necessary.

After digesting this, the second Power spoke up.

"Even if we could save a few more wizards for…what is coming," It paused, "you must still admit that the effects of the vampires on the Slayer and her allies, combined with the loss to our own abilities and plans that their inevitable involvement would lead to, are simply too much of a risk for us to take at such an important juncture."

Shaking its head, the first Power responded, "Correct. In any other situation, this would be far too great of a risk. However, the mortals may have provided us with the ultimate aid in that regard."

Another wave of the hand, and the image shifted to one of Angel speaking with the Oracles.

"You see," the first Power explained, "the process which the Shanshu Prophecy was meant to refer to would not only involve the recreation of new human bodies for them, but the creation of completely new human _lives_. New friends, allies, family, and most importantly, new memories."

The extent of the first Power's plan began to sink in to his fellows, and it continued.

"If we were to take advantage and place their new lives in a position within the British Wizarding World to affect Harry Potter's fight, they would naturally feel inclined to aid of their own free will. No more manipulation on our part would be necessary with those feelings and connections on their part."

"They would still contact the Slayer! We all know how deeply they feel for her." The second Power protested.

"Not necessarily," the third Power said quietly. The second turned to him with a questioning gaze. "While creating their new memories, we could push down the old ones to keep them from looking for their past. If their new memories have enough similarities with their old ones, they will not likely trigger their old selves' memories unless absolutely necessary. If they do not contain any memories outside their new lives in the Wizarding World…"

The first Power would have smiled, had it been a mortal.

"The wizards' deliberate isolation from the rest of human society will work to our advantage and keep the Slayer from finding them." He finished.

The third Power turned an understanding gaze at the first.

"I see now that you have thought this out well." There was some mild approval in the Power's voice, "Perhaps we should consider it after all…"

The second Power nearly sputtered. "You can not be seriously considering this! Not only does this go against every one of our moral directives, the ones you were willing to exile the Power who became 'Jasmine' over, by interfering in the mortals' free will directly, but you run too great of a risk!"

The third Power shook its head. "And yet I fear we have no other choice. What shall come to pass in the current destiny will devastate too many lives, and too many worlds. We were unsure if we could win even with an army of Slayers. The plan has merit, and I do not think we can avoid it."

The second Power glanced between its two fellows before heaving an exhausted sigh. "I wash my hands of this. I will not fight you on this, but you must make sure that this is done properly."

The first Power nodded.

"Of course. The Powers That Be always do things properly."

* * *

**Los Angeles**

Angel was losing.

Ok, that was completely expected. The Senior Partners were going to pretty thorough, and he had known ahead of time that this might very well be his last battle. He had been fully prepared to go out in a blaze of glory, take as many of them with him as he could, insert other cliché death saying here, etc.

Of course, planning what your death would be like and actually experiencing it were two very different things.

Every fiber in his body ached more from the effort of his sword swings, making him more sluggish all the time. Even fully vamped out, his normally sharp vision was beginning to blur, and now he could barely separate individual demons from the horde. In the distance, he had heard two cries of victory and somehow knew that at least two of his allies, his friends, had already gone down. His heart, mind and body were all exhausted.

But he still had his soul, and the determination it gave him forced him to keep swinging. It was a losing battle, and excruciating to boot, but there was no way he was going to lose here.

Plus, there was always the chance that Spike was still alive. Angel would be damned if he let Captain Peroxide be able to hold surviving longer than him over his head. Yes, it was petty reasoning unbefitting of a champion. Angel was ok with that right now.

Suddenly, Angel felt a powerful fist wrap around his swinging sword arm and press down. The ensouled vampire cried out in pain as the limb was crushed between powerful fingers, and he felt the weapon slip from his fingers. As if that weren't enough, soon he found himself flying through the air and colliding head on with the brick wall on the other side of the alley.

Ow.

With his head swimming, Angel watched bleary-eyed as the nearest demons turned around. He could feel as their gazes turned predatory when they saw him in his weakened state. Without a weapon and barely conscious, Angel knew he didn't stand a chance.

This was it.

"Oi! Back off!"

Angel watched as a blur cut its way through the advancing demons before falling in front of him. Crouched and panting in exhaustion, Spike turned to his grand-sire and sneered.

"You know, Poof, as much as getting to see you die first would make my day, I figure you might still have some use."

With that, Spike hobbled over and pulled Angel up onto his feet. Blinking away the dizziness, Angel scowled back at the younger vampire.

"I didn't need your help Spike. I would've gotten out just fine." He protested.

Spike snorted. Both of the vampires knew that wasn't true. Spike probably wasn't any happier with the rescue than Angel was. All they'd done was make a more convenient target of themselves and bought a few extra seconds.

On cue, the two watched as a new shape approached. Parting the sea of demons, and batting away the unlucky ones that didn't see it coming, was a giant demon that had to weigh several tons. Each of its steps caused what felt like a miniature earthquake, and soon it was so close that Angel and Spike could not see the sky past its massive frame.

"I'm going to kill it." Spike declared.

"Like hell!" Angel argued.

"Oh, come on! You already killed the bloody dragon! Stop bein' a glory-hog!"

Apparently realizing that its prey wasn't trembling in fear at its presence, the demon roared at them and reared up to its full size.

Spike and Angel stared.

"Ok, fine. We'll just have to see who manages a killing blow first, won't we?" Spike finally said.

"Spike?" Angel said.

"What is it, Peaches?"

"I just want you to know…I always hated you. Always. From Angelus all the way up to now."

Spike smirked.

"Feeling's mutual, Peaches."

Both vampires vamped out and the giant demon unsheathed a sword as big as a streetlight. Before anyone could blink, the giant swung, and the vampires charged.

And then Spike and Angel knew no more. Their undead existences came to an abrupt end.

But this was not the true end. Not for them, even if they had no idea about that.

* * *

**A Little Village In England**

While the house was quite small and in a mild state of disrepair, Albus Dumbledore found himself oddly at home within its confines. It was not like the grand mansions of some pureblood families, nor did it reek of professionalism and ambition like the ministry. No, this small home only gave off a feeling of hospitality and friendliness, much like the Weasleys' ancestral home.

It also matched the demeanor of its owner, the haggard looking but incredibly kind Remus Lupin.

As if thinking his name had summoned him, Remus emerged from a door on the other side of the room carrying a worn tray of food and drink.

"Here's your tea, Professor, I'm afraid it's not the best quality but…" Remus shrugged.

Albus knew the reason, but politely waved it off. "Oh, do not worry about it, Remus. I am sure it will taste just fine." To prove this, the aged wizard brought the chipped tea cup to his lips and took a deep swig of it. It was a little flat, but Albus did not let that show.

"I told you it would be fine, Remus. I always loved your tea. Perhaps you could…"

"Professor." Remus cut him off. "Why did you really come to see me? You can't expect me to believe this is a simple visit to an old student."

Albus sighed and put the cup down, hands unconsciously reaching up to stroke his beard. Remus noted this, knowing it was a sign of stress, and surmised that he probably was not going to like the answer.

"I came to hire you, actually. I feel you would be a great teacher at Hogwarts, you always had such a way as a tutor, after all."

"Me? A teacher?" Remus parroted in disbelief. That was impossible. With his condition, as a werewolf, the Board of Governors would never allow him to teach at Hogwarts. Still, a part of him had always liked the idea of being a teacher, so the offer was tempting enough for him to ignore that.

Still, Remus knew that there was still something else that Albus hadn't said yet, and the old man was not trying very hard to hide it.

"If you think you can get me the position, professor, I wouldn't really decline. However, I can tell that you didn't call me up strictly because I was a good tutor."

Albus nodded, and glanced around the room. He quickly cast a silencing charm before he continued.

"Remus," he began, "what I'm about to tell you has not yet been revealed to the public. As of this moment, the Ministry is trying to keep the incident under wraps in the hope they can resolve it before anyone realizes the situation exists. However, I do not believe they will be capable of doing so. Sooner or later, they will give in to pressure and reveal the event to the media."

"What event, sir?" Remus asked quietly.

"There has been a break out at Azkaban. An important follower of Voldemort's somehow managed to escape, and all attempts to recapture him have failed." Albus said.

Pieces fell into place, and Remus understood perfectly why the aged headmaster had come to him.

"Sirius. He's the one who broke out, isn't he?" His voice sounded tired, but there was also a deep anger. The thought of Sirius, after what he had done, was enough to make him growl almost wolfishly.

Before he could get any more upset though, his brain put together the last answer he needed. He understood why Albus wanted him at Hogwarts.

"You're afraid he's going to come after Harry, because of how Voldemort died."

Albus nodded in confirmation.

The former Marauder slumped back in his chair and put his head in his hands. It would hurt to see Harry. He had never met James and Lily's son, had never even tried to meet him. He had plenty of reasons and justifications but, in the end, it was because he couldn't face a living reminder of how badly he had failed James, Lily, and Peter in not seeing through Sirius. Not to mention that it was even harder for him to justify seeing the child after so many years without seeing him. Would the boy blame him for his parents death? Would he be angry because Remus had never tried to contact him?

Seeing the look his former student was sporting, Albus stood from his chair and put a comforting hand on the other man's shoulder. Remus looked up to see a gentle smile on the other wizard's face.

"Harry has not had an easy life, this is true, Remus. But I do not think he would hate you. You are a link to his parents, and he will understand your reasons."

The assurance warmed Remus and he couldn't help but let a smile cross his face. Professor Dumbledore had always had a way with his students, and it apparently didn't stop when they graduated.

"Very well, Professor. I'll take the job and guard Harry. I won't let Sirius get near him."

Albus' smile widened in gratitude. But his face still looked a little apprehensive.

"Remus, there is one other thing."

Remus froze.

"I think we can agree that Black is too crafty to not use every resource we have in stopping him. You know him best, but you are not the only one that was close to him."

"You must be joking!" Remus yelled, "Those two left us in the middle of the war!"

Albus frowned.

"Remus, I understand this is difficult for you, but you must admit that Liam and William will be a great help. We cannot afford to let Sirius have even the slightest chance to reach Harry."

Remus ground his teeth and searched desperately for an excuse, but came up empty. As much as he wanted to argue, he knew that the other man spoke the truth. He couldn't let past grudges get in the way of protecting Harry.

"Alright." He gave in. "If you can find them, I'll speak with them. I can't promise they'll come, however."

The gleam in Albus' eyes could have rivaled the sun. "And what if I told you I already knew where they were?"

Remus sighed.

It seemed that Mr. Moony would be paying a visit to Mssrs. Angel and Spike far earlier than he expected. Wonderful.

END

* * *

**A/N:** The timeline for both series is a little skewed, but you'll see what I mean later on. Also, I am aware of the post-season five comics, but I'm ignoring them because I haven't read them and don't care enough to buy them.

I really should know better than to start writing a new project when I'm having so much trouble with my current ones, but I couldn't resist.

EDIT:Added missing linebreaks


	2. Hogwarts? Meet Angel and Spike

**To Shanshu in the UK**

**Chapter** **1: Hogwarts, Meet Angel and Spike**

* * *

After particularly stressful events, everyone has their own way to unwind and relax. For Remus Lupin, that usually involved some hot tea and sinking into a really comfortable armchair to read a book. Granted, he did that a lot as it was, but he hadn't felt like he needed the activity so badly in several years. The meetings with his two friends of the past had left him drained and in sore need of some way to let off steam.

Exhausted, he sank down further into the chair and sighed as the tension slowly leaked out of his body. He was just about to reach over and grab a book from the shelf when a flash of light caught his eye.

With a roar, the flames in his fireplace shot upwards and turned a bright shade of emerald green. A muggle would probably have started screaming at this point, but Remus merely put the book back down and calmly waited for the floo powder's effects to go their course. Seconds later he was rewarded with the familiar silhouette of Albus Dumbeldore stepping out of the hearth.

"Professor, you're here surprisingly early." Remus observed dryly.

The elderly wizard just chuckled and raised a hand in greeting. "You of all people, Remus, should know that a wizard never arrives early, nor late. He arrives precisely when he wants to."

Remus raised an eyebrow in surprise. "A Lord of the Rings quote, Professor? I would not have guessed to to be a reader of muggle literature."

Dumbledore carefully made his way to Remus and the small table near him, conjured a chair for himself, and sat down. Once seated his twinkling eyes met Remus'. "Well, I would be remiss if I said we could learn things from the muggles and not attempt the same myself, wouldn't I?"

Both shared a small laugh at that, but both knew it wouldn't last long.

"Remus…" Albus began, before Remus cut him off.

"I already spoke with them." Remus reported. "Things were…tense at first, but both of them agreed to help us once I mentioned Sirius and his plan."

Albus clasped his hands, a slight sign that the information pleased him. His next words were carefully measured. "And how would you evaluate them, Remus? Would you say they are good choices?"

Briefly, Remus assumed the headmaster was talking about their potential as teachers, but a keen mind like his quickly put the pieces together. Albus was asking for a lot more information than that. Remus crossed his arms in thought.

"They have changed quite a bit since the war." He finally decided.

Dumbledore leaned forward in interest. "How so, Remus?"

Remus thought about his response carefully. It was hard to describe, the changes had been mostly subtle after all, but he knew how to begin, at least.

"For one, Will has grown much more confident in himself since he left all his family issues behind. It took me a while to locate him, even with your tip, and the last place I would have expected to find him was in one of the shadier bars in muggle London."

Dumbledore's silver eyebrows climbed up his forehead and disappeared into his hair. Remus chuckled.

"Yes. I said I was surprised as well. There was apparently some form of poetry night going on," Here, both his and the elderly professor's lips twitched in amusement, "and he had decided to go show off his newest creation. The quality of his poetry at least hasn't changed." Remus remarked amused.

While clearly enjoying the thought himself, Dumbeldore motioned for Remus to continue with more serious matters.

Remus chose his next words carefully. "While he's grown more confident, I would almost say he is… too confident. He walks with a swagger, dresses in leather and slicks back his hair. He was smoking the entire time we spoke as well. All together, Will looks like a… punk, for lack of a better word, these days."

If Dumbledore's eyebrows had vanished before, now they had rapidly gone into the territory of cumplehorned snorcacks in existence.

"I'm not entirely sure that he is the best option to teach the students, Professor." Remus finished. "Before I would have picked Will over Liam to teach without a second thought, but now I'm not certain about either."

"Yes, before we discuss that, perhaps you should tell me a bit more about Liam, Remus." Dumbeldore said.

The werewolf fidgeted a little, and then spoke up. "Liam has calmed down since the old days. He was working with a detective agency when I spoke with him, and he seemed more… I'm not entirely certain how to describe it. Broody?" He grimaced at the mangling of the English language there. Oh, Merlin, that felt terrible.

Albus looked at him, not comprehending. Remus sighed and decided to explain.

"I can only speculate, of course, but I think he sort of… blames himself about the whole thing. He and Sirius were especially close, the way they loved to flaunt the rules and fool around with the female population of Hogwarts, he probably thinks that if anyone should have seen the betrayal coming it would have been him." Remus spoke carefully.

Albus read between the lines. "You do not agree, Remus?"

The werewolf shook his head. "To be perfectly blunt, Albus, I do not. James was the closest friend Sirius had, no matter the superficial similarities between Liam and Sirius. Liam blames himself for the disaster that happened in Ireland, and he just extended the self-loathing to the Sirius issue."

Albus hummed in understanding and the room went quiet.

"But you said that they were willing to help us with Sirius? Including helping you with the teaching if necessary?" Albus tentatively broached the subject.

"Yes. They agreed as soon as I explained the situation."

Dumbledore absently started stroking his beard. "Good. I will make arrangements for their transportation to Hogwarts in time for the opening feast."

Rising from the chair, he turned back towards the fireplace to leave.

"Wait, Professor!" Remus called.

Dumbeldore paused and looked back.

"Sir, are you absolutely certain that we should involve them? I just…they're supposed to be teaching! They're not qualified."

Dumbeldore just gave him an enigmatic smile.

"Neither was Lockhart, Remus. At least these two have actually done something in the field before."

With that, the elderly wizard stepped back into the fireplace and removed a handful of powder from a pocket in his robe. Before he was about to start the transport, however, he paused.

"Remus," He said, "For what it's worth, I am sorry to drag you into this situation."

Remus opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came to mind. He settled for a weak nod of acknowledgement.

"Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office!" He said clearly and threw the powder down. Another roar sounded, and the wizard vanished in a curtain of flames, leaving Remus alone again.

The werewolf and future Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor sank back into his chair. He stared down into the shifting clouds in his tea, mind drifting back to the past.

"Have things really changed so much?" He muttered to himself as the memories overtook him.

* * *

**Hogwarts, Gryffindor Dormitory Room**

**18 Years Ago**

The room was a horrible wreck.

Bits of paper, the only evidence that there had been plans to actually finish the assigned homework, were tossed around the room like trash. Cards, empty bottles of fire whiskey, and a few things that he did not even _want_ to identify littered the ground. The curtains were pulled tightly closed and the room's occupants were all hiding underneath blankets like a bunch of deranged caterpillars.

Needless to say, Remus Lupin was not amused.

"Every time." The young Werewolf muttered to himself, "Every time we leave you alone you go and do something like this."

The only answer to this complaint was a few muffled groans and the shuffling of four teenage boys as they weakly tried to escape the assault from the light he was letting into the room through the door. Remus stormed past them and threw open the blinds, filling the room with light. The protests increased in volume and the other Marauders

Remus turned to his lone companion in the strange world of sanity with a pained expression, "Will, weren't you supposed to be watching them while I was doing Rounds last night?" He motioned towards the group strewn about on the floor with nothing but disapproval. "Because I said to make them study."

The blond-haired boy looked down ashamed, and Remus sighed as he felt annoyance at the boy drain away. Will was, to be perfectly blunt, socially stunted. Will was constantly polite and proper, to the point where most would call him stuffy. It was probably the result of his family's huge expectations about him, but Remus refused to pry. The other Marauders may have liked to take advantage of his naïveté and gullibility, but Remus tried to steer him in a (to him) better direction.

So, knowing that the platinum blond wasn't the real culprit anyway, Remus walked over to the one who was really to blame.

"Padfoot." He said sternly, poking the black haired boy with his foot. Sirius grumbled and opened his bloodshot eyes just long enough to shoot him a pained glare before rolling over and trying to hide from the world again.

"You leave me no choice." Remus said as a warning.

Sirius showed him a rude gesture in response.

Lips thinned into a white line, Remus grabbed two bottles and transfigured them into cymbals. The crashing echo of metal hitting metal filled the room, followed shortly after by a chorus of pained shouts.

"Merlin's saggy left buttock!" Liam cried out in his heavy Irish brogue. "What in the… Moony! That's cruel." The last part quickly slid out of outraged territory to a tone more common among whining children.

Teeth clenched and his ears ringing, James sat up and then grabbed his head and hissed in more pain. "Moony, you're evil." He said darkly. "Evil to the core."

Sirius and Peter just whimpered and curled up into little balls.

Remus sniffed. "Yes, my dark, evil soul is the only reason you are all are suffering the consequences of your incredibly stupid actions. Glad we've figured that out."

"But I thought it was because they were drink…" Will trailed off at the long-suffering look that Remus shot his way. "O-oh. R-right, sarcasm. I'll just go…hide in the corner and make myself a dunce cap, shall I?"

"Yes, you do that, Mister Spike. I'd rather not have to deal with your stupidity tonight." Liam said. The normally docile Englishman bristled.

"I beg your pardon?" Will turned a furious red, "Which of us was the one who flashed Professor McGonagall the moment he had four shots in him, Captain Forehead?"

The room froze in shock. Liam's mouth gaped open and closed like a goldfish as James and Peter tried to hide their snickers at their friend's expense. Remus could be seen with his head cradled in his hands wondering about cruel gods and what he had ever done to deserve friends like this, he was sorry for that incident already, would you _just let it go_…

It was at this opportune moment that Sirius decided to remind everyone who was the craziest of the marauders when he threw back his head and cackled like a maniac.

"And what, pray tell, is so funny, dear Padfoot?" Remus ground out.

Sirius's laughter died down to a few chuckles as he directed a roguish grin his friend's way. He then clambered up on top of Peter's bed, ignoring the squeal of protest, and pointed dramatically at Will and Remus.

"You!" He said, voice full with delight, "Oh, Moony, I was near into despair about you two! Marauders that _like_ studying? That try to _avoid_ pranks? Why, it goes against the very laws of nature! And now, here you are, torturing us, being sarcastic, and Spike even insulted Angel back! Oh, happy day! Hoorah, hooray! I think I could do a dance."

And so he did, and was rewarded.

"Oh, God, my eyes!"

"Padfoot, stop that immediately!"

"Sirius!"

James relaxed. "I have never been so thankful to be blind as a bat without my glasses."

Remus averted his eyes. "Wormtail, please put a stop to that." He practically begged.

The pudgier boy gave him a small salute and kicked Sirius's legs out from under him. Sirius gave a shout of surprise before tumbling down in a flurry of swinging limbs and crashing into the ground with an audible thud. His good friends immediately proved their loyalty by laughing hysterically at him.

"I hate you all."

Remus lost the fight to contain his own mirth and was soon laughing along with the rest of them. All his problems faded away, replaced by the joy of being around his friends.

* * *

**Present**

The memory was bittersweet, and Remus sighed, feeling more tired than he had in years. The werewolf sank back in his chair, willing himself to relax, even though it did no good. He had no idea what to expect from the coming year, and more than one part of his psyche was listing off all the things that could go wrong.

People changed, he knew that first hand. Remus had seen the surface of those changes with Liam and Will, but knew it was only a matter of time before he started seeing all of those changes as well.

He was not entirely sure he would like them.

Unconsciously, his eyes wandered to a small picture frame above the fireplace. It had been taken in their seventh year, the last year before everything started to fall apart. In the picture, the six young men were huddled around each other grinning at the camera and posing. James and Sirius had their arms over the other's shoulder and were grinning wildly while a more subdued Peter hovered nearby. To the other side, Liam was leaning against a wall sending an arrogant smirk at the camera while Will and Remus tried to act calm around their crazy friends.

It had been a simpler time, when they had all believed that nothing could go wrong for them. The world was full of bright futures, and no one ever died.

"Idiots." He scorned himself.

Not two weeks later, James and Lily had started considering marriage, Sirius and Will had finally seen their family situations fall apart, and Liam had left for Ireland to deal with personal issues that he wouldn't even tell the other Marauders about. Just to make things worse, Voldemort had started stepping up his attacks on the Ministry and muggle-borns, and Dumbledore had recruited most of them into the Order of the Phoenix to help defend the Wizarding World. Things began to pile up, people began to die, and the Marauders close group connects slowly fell apart under the strain.

Sure, he and Peter had done their best to keep the group together, but they just were not up to the task.

Two long years followed, and by the end of it, it seemed like the Marauders were history. Then Sirius had betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort and murdered Peter. Remus was left totally alone.

Remus would spend the rest of the night caught in his memories and regrets, waiting for the school year to begin.

* * *

**Hogwarts Great Hall**

**Several Weeks Later**

Ron Weasley was not what most people would call "observant". In fact, most would probably call him more hardheaded than a rock a lot of the time. However, the youngest male of the Weasley family wasn't completely dense. Sure, he didn't understand girls, who did? But you did not get as good at Chess as he did without having some observational ability.

Ok, right now that ability was being set aside so he could focus longingly on the food that was lining the Gryffindor table, but it was the principle of the matter!

Besides, he was tired from all the crazy happenings of the day. Those Dementors stopping the train had been frightening enough, but then his best mate had fainted from the sight of them. That new professor, Lupin or whatever his name was, had dragged Harry off to the infirmary as soon as he could and refused to answer any of his or Hermoine's questions.

Was it any wonder why he just wanted to stuff his face and forget this kind of stressful thing?

Apparently it was, because Ron was suddenly hit by the pointed part of Hermoine's bony elbow in the ribs. He let out an "oof" of pain and sent the bushy haired girl a withering glance, but her own disapproving look put a stop to that.

"Ron!" She hissed, "Professor Dumbledore is about to introduce that Professor from the train!"

Ron sent an apologetic glance at the food before turning his attention to Dumbledore's speech.

"…has decided to retire to spend more time with his remaining limbs," Dumbledore was saying, "So, it is with great pleasure that I announce his replacement: your new Care of Magical Creatures Professor, Rubeus Hagrid!"

The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables burst into furious applause as Hagrid shot up from his seat, accidentally pushing the Professors' table forward. The giant had a sheepish but pleased look on his face as he basked in the applause. The Ravenclaws gave polite applause, but Ron could catch a few unsure glances between some of their students. And, Ron was in no way surprised to note, the Slytherins barely clapped at all, many looking up at their new Professor with open disdain or calculating looks.

"Bloody Slytherins." He muttered to himself. Couldn't they show a little respect for once?

Dumbledore raised his hand and the applause slowly died down as Hagrid took his seat again.

"You may have also noticed another new face at our table. Due to some… unfortunate circumstances, Professor Lockhart will not be capable of teaching this year. Instead, may I please introduce you to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor: Remus Lupin!"

The applause that followed as the haggard and thin man gave a slight bow was much less enthusiastic than the one for Hagrid. Probably because the students were all trying to evaluate their new professor.

"However," Dumbledore continued, "Professor Lupin suffers from some persistent health problems and, as such, we have hired two assistant professors to aid him in teaching his classes. They are running a tad late, however, and so I will save my introduction of them for their arrival. In the meantime, please, eat!"

With that clap, the Hall burst. The buzz of talking, mostly on the subject of these new assistant teachers, mixed with the flurry of noise that came as the students dug into the food.

Needless to say, Hermoine was definitely contributing to the former.

"Assistant professors?" She repeated, "But Hogwarts has never had more than one for teacher of the same subject in over a century. Why would they start now? Are they experts on the subject? Is Professor Lupin really that sick? What do you think, Ron?"

"Mmfoo mfawes?" Ron questioned, mouth stuffed with food.

Hermoine's face twisted in disgust. "Eew! Ron! Don't talk with your mouth full!" She scolded.

Ron rolled his eyes, but swallowed before continuing. "I was going to say who cares? They're just new professors. They're probably the usual strict, stuffy, gits just like Snape."

Hermoine opened her mouth to give a pointed rebuke to those words when a new noise cut her off. That noise was the sudden and echoing slam of the entrance doors opening, followed by two yelling voices.

"Can't believe they brought you in, Peaches. How in the soddin' hell am I supposed to work with a ponce like you?" The first voice, a gravelly and Cockney English accented one, said loudly.

The next voice, with a subdued Irish accent, responded with the same amount of annoyance. "I could ask you the same thing, Will. You look like they dragged you out of a gutter somewhere, and you're supposed to teach these kids?"

The students of Hogwarts stared in dumbfounded shock as two new figures entered the Great Hall. The shorter one who had spoken first was dressed in a leather jacket and had slicked back his hair, was speaking around a still smoking cigarette and directing a heated glare at his companion. He spoke roughly and his body language screamed of disrespect and barely controlled contempt. The other man was taller, with dark hair that was spiked up in a muggle-like hairstyle and his forehead furrowed in anger as he glared down at the smaller man. He stood stiffly, looking like he wanted to throttle the other one but was barely holding himself back.

Whispers had returned at full force as the students took in the strange sight. Quite a few of the girls were staring for completely different reasons, although Ron didn't notice that.

"Gutter? Oh, that's rich coming from you, Poof. From the smell, I'd say that's where you get your hair gel."

The scowl deepened and the taller man looked ready to slug the other one. Ron had slowly developed a grin on his face as he saw the fight escalate.

"I take it back, 'Moine." He told his friend, "They're not boring after all."

"And here they are!" Dumbledore called out in a strangely jovial tone. "Students, may I introduce you to your new Assistant Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers: on the right we have Professor Liam Reilly and on the left we have Professor William Malfoy. I trust you will all make them feel welcome."

The already chaotic Hall exploded with disbelief. Ron looked up at the Head table and saw almost all of the teachers staring at the argument with horror and disbelief, and a quick check showed that Malfoy was now gaping at the "disgusting commoner" that shared his name.

Ron turned back to the shocked and worried face of Hermoine.

"This year is going to be brilliant." He told her, grinning madly.

* * *

**A/N:** Uh, Merry Christmas?

Not my favorite update, but it was all I could manage after a ton of rewrites. If you have issues and criticisms, please point them out so I can correct them in the future.

About younger Angel and Spike: I based them off of what little we see of their pre-Vamping in Buffy. Angel was clearly a drunk womanizer looking for a good time, while Spike was awkward and proper kind of like early series Wesley.

Please review.


End file.
